ACL healing time depends on whether the ligament is partially torn or completely torn and whether you have surgery. Recovery is usually measured in months, not weeks.
Typical healing timelines
- A mild (sprain) or partial ACL tear treated without surgery may take about 3 months to regain good function with proper physical therapy, though some people never get full stability back and remain at higher risk of re‑injury.
- After ACL reconstruction surgery, full recovery for sports is usually at least 8–12 months, even though daily activities like walking often feel much better after a few weeks.
Milestones after ACL surgery
- Many people walk with crutches and a brace immediately after surgery and progress to walking without crutches in about 1–2 weeks, depending on pain, swelling, and muscle control.
- Range of motion often returns substantially within 6–8 weeks, but rebuilding strength, balance, and sport‑level cutting/pivoting ability takes many additional months.
Key factors that affect healing
- Healing time varies with age, overall health, how severe the tear is, whether other structures (like meniscus) are injured, and how consistently you do physical therapy.
- Returning to cutting or pivoting sports before the graft and surrounding muscles are fully ready significantly increases the risk of tearing the ACL again.
If you tell what kind of ACL injury you have (partial vs full tear, surgery vs no surgery, and your activity goals), a more specific time range can be suggested.
